Chapter 2

In the air, a man in black rushed over, his sharp gaze like that of an eagle, coldly scanning the entire village.

A moment later, the man in black hovered directly above the village.

Black mist swirled around him, his clothes fluttering in the wind, sending out gusts of cold air, and his entire body exuded a sinister and evil aura.

"Who is Su Mingren?!"

The cold, hoarse voice sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Is this a sage? He looks so terrifying!

Looking for Su Mingren? When did the village chief have anything to do with a sage?

Hearing the commotion, many villagers curiously poked their heads out to observe the man in black in the sky.

On the open ground, Su Mingren looked up at the man in the sky, his heart tightening, a strong sense of foreboding welling up inside him.

Is he looking for me? Is it really for the alchemy furnace?

As he hesitated, unsure whether to respond,

"Hmph! What? No one is speaking?!"

In mid-air, the man in black, seeing no one respond, let out a cold snort.

A dense, sinister aura emanated from him, enveloping the entire small village.

In the next second, everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their bodies shivering.

Seeing the man in black about to lose his temper, Su Mingren quickly spoke up, "Exalted Immortal, I am Su Mingren. I wonder what you need from me?"

Hearing the voice, the man in black's figure flickered slightly in the air, transforming into a streak of light and landing in front of Su Mingren.

His gaze scrutinized Su Mingren, his eyes flashing with a cold light, and he said in a sinister tone, "Hand over the treasure furnace, or die!!"

Su Mingren shivered, his heart leaping to his throat, but he feigned calmness, "Treasure furnace? What treasure furnace? Exalted Immortal, I... I don't understand what you're talking about."

The man in black's gaze turned cold, and with a wave of his hand, true essence transformed into a gust of energy, directly sending Su Mingren flying.

Staring at Su Mingren as if he were an ant, the man in black said, "Old man, since I can find you here, do you really think I know nothing?"

"If you hand over your family's heirloom furnace today, everything can be resolved."

"Otherwise, not only will you die today, but everyone in the village will die too!!"

As he spoke, the man in black took a step toward Su Mingren, a dense aura of killing intent spreading throughout the village.

The villagers, who were watching, felt as if the sky was about to collapse, and they were terrified, frantically shouting to Su Mingren on the ground.

"Village chief, if you really have that furnace, just give it to this Immortal!"

"That's right, it's not worth angering the Immortal over that treasure furnace."

"Immortal, don't be angry! We've lived here for so many years, and we've never heard of the village chief having any treasure furnace!"

...

Su Mingren landed heavily on the ground, his old bones and muscles already weak, and he broke several ribs, his face contorted in pain.

Not far away, in a pile of hay, Su Shier saw everything.

Seeing his grandfather injured,

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his heart tightened, and he clutched the alchemy furnace, ready to go out and save his grandfather.

To him, no matter how precious the alchemy furnace was, it was nothing compared to his grandfather's life.

But just as he was about to go out and hand over the alchemy furnace,

he couldn't help but remember his grandfather's warning.

No matter what happens, you must never come out!

Thinking of his grandfather's words, Su Shier hesitated.

On the ground, Su Mingren noticed the slight movement in the hay pile and, despite the pain, continued to speak, "Exalted Immortal, I... I really don't know what treasure furnace you're talking about!"

Su Mingren, wise from his years, knew from the moment he learned the man's purpose that, whether or not he handed over the alchemy furnace, he and the villagers would not escape death today.

Now, the only thing he could do was to ensure his grandson's safety.

The man in black, hearing this, his eyes flashing with a cold light, let out a series of eerie laughs, "Haha... Old man, do you want to die? Too bad... It looks like I'll have to find it myself!"

The man in black shook his head, his gaze turning cruel.

He then activated the true essence in his body, forming a sword seal. A black flying sword shot out from his back, hovering in the air, spinning rapidly.

Immediately, a sky full of sword light appeared, each beam of light transforming into a skull, diving toward the villagers.

The villagers, seeing this, were all terrified, and a few reacted quickly, turning to run away.

"No... No!"

"Immortal, spare us, spare us!"

"Please, let us go, we know nothing!"

...

Feeling the threat of death, the villagers were all terrified, instinctively begging for mercy.

But to the man in black, a flying immortal, they were no different from ants. In the face of this evil sword energy, death was just a matter of moments!

In a moment, the entire Xiaoshi Village was awash in blood, the air thick with the smell of blood.

Su Mingren lay on the ground, his eyes filled with anger and despair.

Although he had long prepared for death, seeing the villagers die so tragically, his heart was filled with immense sorrow.

In the hay pile, Su Shier was also terrified, lying on the ground, his hands and feet cold, as if he were in an ice cellar.

This is no sage, but a bloodthirsty demon!

At this moment, the man in black walked up to Su Mingren with a cold laugh, "Old man, did you see? They all died because of you!"

"I'll give you one more chance, hand over the treasure furnace!"

The man in black reached out, and the flying sword in the air landed in his hand, the tip of the sword pointing directly at Su Mingren.

Black mist rolled around him, releasing a terrifying pressure.

Lying on the ground, Su Mingren felt as if he were suffocating just from this pressure.

But he shook his head resolutely, "No!"

The man in black's gaze turned cold, and he activated the true essence, sending a skull-shaped sword energy flying out, biting off Su Mingren's arm.

"Now?!"

Su Mingren was in excruciating pain, gritting his teeth, and shouted, "I... I really don't know what treasure furnace!"

"Hmph! Since that's the case, you have no reason to live!" The man in black let out a cold snort, and another skull-shaped sword energy flew out, heading straight for Su Mingren's heart.

"No... No..."

In the hay pile, Su Shier watched this scene, his mouth open, but no sound came out.

Tightly clutching the alchemy furnace, he wanted to go out and save his grandfather, but he was already terrified and overwhelmed by the man in black's powerful aura.

Su Shier lay on the ground, feeling as if a thousand pounds of weight were pressing down on him, making him unable to move.

"Pfft!"

In the next second, a dull sound, the skull-shaped sword energy pierced through Su Mingren's heart.

A fist-sized hole appeared in Su Mingren's chest, and he tilted his head, dying on the spot!

Seeing his grandfather lying in a pool of blood, Su Shier's pupils constricted, his heart tightening, and he fainted from grief.

In the village, the man in black did not pay attention to the hay pile on the open ground but began to search each household.

Killing everyone in the village was like a trivial matter to him!

From dusk to midnight, the man in black searched every room in the village. From the roof beams to the cellars, he left no place unsearched, but found nothing.

Although he was powerful, his spiritual senses could only extend as far as a Golden Core cultivator could.

Xiaoshi Village was right next to Tianjue Peak, a forbidden place for cultivators. Not only were Golden Core cultivators rare, but even if they came, they would be suppressed by an unknown force.

Two hours later, the man in black returned to Su Mingren's corpse, confirming that Su Mingren did not have the item he was looking for, and was somewhat frustrated.

"Damn! Is the information wrong? Or has someone already taken it?"

"Whatever, I'll have to find other clues!"

With that, the man in black leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light and shooting into the sky.

He never thought that right where he landed, a young boy was hiding!

This was the most dangerous place, but also the safest!

An hour later, the man in black's figure was hidden in the darkness, quietly landing again.

Seeing that the scene was still the same, he shook his head in frustration and left on his flying sword.

Su Shier was unconscious for two hours, and as the sky began to brighten, he suddenly twitched and woke up, drenched in cold sweat.

In his unconscious state, his mind was filled with the image of the skull-like monster killing his grandfather.

The first thing Su Shier did when he woke up

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was to look outside, hoping that everything that happened yesterday was just a nightmare.

However, it was all in vain.

In his line of sight, his grandfather lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Su Shier's body trembled, and he crawled out of the hay pile, coming to Su Mingren's side.

"Grandfather... Grandfather... Wake up, I... I won't call you old man anymore!"

"Please, wake up! I beg you... Please, listen to me!"

Su Shier held Su Mingren, shouting, tears streaming down his face like a broken string of pearls.

But no matter how he shouted, the person on the ground did not respond.

Su Shier held his grandfather, crying until the sun rose, until his tears ran dry, until blood tears streamed from his eyes.

He fainted several times, until his voice was hoarse and he could no longer cry, then he looked down at the alchemy furnace in his arms.

"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Grandfather wouldn't have died, and everyone else wouldn't have died!"

Su Shier, in his anger, grabbed the alchemy furnace, seeing it as the root cause of everyone's death. If it weren't for this alchemy furnace, none of this would have happened.

If he could exchange this for Grandfather's life, he would do it without hesitation.

He clutched the alchemy furnace tightly and threw it away in anger.

Seeing the alchemy furnace roll on the ground, he hesitated for a moment, then picked it up again.

"This alchemy furnace is the last thing Grandfather left me. I must not lose it."

"Moreover, this thing is something even sages want, so it must be a treasure. To avenge Grandfather and everyone, I can only rely on this treasure. I just don't know how to use it."

"Maybe... after I learn immortal techniques, I'll know how to use it!"

Su Shier took a deep breath and put the alchemy furnace back in his arms.

Then, he endured his grief, found a shovel, and dug large pits on the village ground, burying Grandfather and the other villagers.

The next evening, in the middle of the village, a simple mass grave appeared.

Su Shier knelt in front of Grandfather's and everyone's graves, sobbing.

But he held back, not letting more tears fall. He silently told himself that today was the last time he would cry. From now on, he had only one goal: revenge. No matter what hardships he faced, he would not shed another tear.

"Grandfather, the man in black is powerful. To deal with him, I must join an immortal sect and learn immortal techniques. Perhaps, after learning these techniques, I'll understand how to use the furnace!"

"Little Fat said that there are sages taking disciples in Huilong Town these days. I plan to go and check it out!"

"No matter what, I will avenge you and everyone!"

Su Shier spoke softly, looked at the alchemy furnace in his arms, and bowed four times to Grandfather's grave.

Then, he resolutely stood up, gritted his teeth, and ran toward Huilong Town.